Jennifer Morawetz

Master of Arts in History

Graduation Date: May 2011

The Dallas Historical Society,
Fall 2010 - Spring 2011

“This position has strengthened my desire to know more about the non-academic realm of history and history education.”

As a graduate student in History, Jennifer Morawetz wanted to “explore the various career options open to those in historical studies.” Her internship with The Dallas Historical Society, which she found and applied for through the UTD CareerWorks database, has been an invaluable tool for gaining knowledge of the workings of the field. As she explains, “The Dallas Historical Society is a non-profit organization devoted to increasing public knowledge of history and collecting historical items.” This internship has provided Jennifer with a blend of both research and networking opportunities, both of which are key components to the industry.

Jennifer gets to handle and organize archival material, using the digital cataloguing system PastPerfect as a tool to get the job done. She takes particular pride in this portion of her work, as it relates very closely to her academic life. “I really enjoyed getting the information organized and processed because as a history student I know how frustrating it is to know that information is out there but not be able to find it.” Through this internship, Jennifer has learned about and been able to work with resources she had not known about before.

As an intern, Jennifer has been proactive in taking charge of the networking opportunities presented to her. Right at the beginning of her internship she got to work at the Hall of State on an exhibition for the Texas State Fair, allowing her to engage in the operation an important event. “This opportunity was particularly valuable in terms of networking as I was constantly interacting not only with the department that I usually work for but all of the departments of the Dallas Historical Society.”

Although the internship combined with schoolwork results in a packed schedule, Jennifer notes that the benefits are well worth the time spent. She advises future interns, “Even though it may be hard to fit an internship into your school schedule do it because the benefits to your future career are unlimited.”